Cooling apparatus for air-tanks



No. 609,053. 'Paten ted Aug. l6, I898.

E. SHERIDAN.

COOLING. APPARATUS FOR AIR TANKS.

(Application filed Sept. 24, 1897.)

(N0 Model.)

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EDIVARD SHERIDAN, OF PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA.

coou c (APPARATUS FOR AIR-FTANKS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 609,053, dated August16, 1898. Application filed September 24, 1897. Serial No. 652,821. (Nomodel.)

To all whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, EDWARD-SHERIDAN, a citizen of the United States,residing at Philadelphia, in the county of Philadelphia and State ofPennsylvania, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement inCooling Apparatus for Air-Tanks, of which the following is aspecification.

My present invention relates to a new and useful improvement in coolingvapparatus for the air tanks or chambers of beer and similar elevatingdevices, and has for its object to provide an effective means forcooling the air after being compressed and prior to its entering thebeer-kegs in order that the beer may not be deteriorated by theinflowing of air above the proper temperature.

A further object of my invention is to effect economy in the cooling ofthe beer.

With these ends in view this invention consists in the details ofconstruction and combination of elements hereinafter set forth and thenspecifically designated by the claim.

In order that those skilled in the art to which this inventionappertains may understand how to make and use the same, the constructionand operation will now be described in detail, referring to theaccompanying drawings, forming a part of this specifi cation, in which-Figure 1 is a section of an apparatus made in accordance withmyimprovement, show ing a beer-barrel connected with the air-tank 5 Fig.2, a front'elevation of the apparatus;

and Fig. 3, a detail of the one end of the tank,

showing a slightly-modified manner of secur ing the cap or head thereon.

In carrying out my invention as here embodied, A represents the tank orair-chamber, which may be of any convenient construction and design, butpreferably that shown and described in my allowed application, SerialNo. 597,800, filed July 1, 1896. A suitable flexible pipe K is attachedto the spigot L of the tank at one end and to a drawing-faucet M at theother end, said faucet being fixed in the barrel N in any well-knownmanner,"

Upon the tank A is plaeed an ice-receptacle B, which may be made of anymaterial-as, for instance, sheet metal-and this receptacle is ofrectangular shape, having no bottom thereto and its lower edgesscalloped, as in dicated at C, so that when resting upon the top of theair-tank the water which comes from the melting of the ice may freelyflow therefrom and down the sides of the tank and finally drip into thetrough D, which is arranged beneath the tank and is set upon such anincline as to cause the water caught thereby to be conveyed to thedrainpipe E and from thence to any suitable outlet.

The trough Dis here shown as formed of sheet metal and secured to theice-receptacle at the back thereof, extending around the airtank, so asto prevent the escape of moisture from this side of the tank to the wallor sur* face against which the tank is secured, and

in practice this is found of considerable importance, as there is aliability for small pieces of ice or other foreign substances toaccumulate back of the tank, which would transfer thewater flowingdownward around the tank to the wall. I

.Suitable doors F are provided for gaining access to the receptacle,thereby permitting the ice to be readily placed therein or the apparatus thoroughly cleaned when occasion requires.

It is a well-known fact that cold water pass ing in thin sheets over anexposed surface will effectually reduce the temperature of the surface"even to agreater extent than ice brought into direct contact therewith,and in my present improvement I utilize this prin putting the iceindirect contact with the airtank, but in also permitting the water whichis formed by the melting of said ice to constantlyfiow in thin'sheetsover the surfaces of the tank, and in practice it has been found thatthe temperature of the air passing through the tank A is greatlyreduced, and this notwithstanding the fact that the compressing of theair tends to raise its tempera ture.

Another important feature of my invention is that the drippings fromtheice after having performed the function of cooling the tank arecaught in the troughand conveyed there from to a suitable drain-pipe,,thusin nowise interfering with the surroundings of the ap paratus,thereby permitting the placing of the apparatus in any desired locality.

In Fig. 3 I have shown the head or cap I-I arranged so. as to be boltedto the flange I, formed upon the tank by means of a series of bolts J,and this arrangement gives better access to the tank than when the capis threaded thereon, as will be readily understood.

Of course I do not Wish to be limited to the exact construction andarrangement here shown, since these may be varied within certain limitswithout departing from the spirit of my invention, which rests in thebroad idea of combining an ice-receptacle with a pressure air-tank andutilizing the water formed by the melting of the ice for the cooland adrain-pipe leading from the lowest point of the trough, as and for thepurpose described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto affixed my signature inthe'presence of two subscribing witnesses.

EDWARD SHERIDAN.

Witnesses:

S. S. WILLIAMSON, SAMUEL L. TAYLOR.

